China Lily

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Pork lomein

Boneless ribs

Eggroll

Exterior

Interior

*** (3.5 stars)

This is a typical small Chinese restaurant in a strip mall. It offers a very comprehensive menu. Although they have a good size dining area, they seem to be focused on takeout. I wasn’t a big fan of the interior, so I ate at one of the two tables on the front walkway, which was very pleasant.

My food was extremely fresh and hot, obviously prepared to order. The eggroll was nice and crispy, with lots of fresh veggies inside that weren’t overcooked.

The small portion of boneless ribs was very generous, and good quality.

Pork lo mein was also pretty good and certainly hot, but I might have something more interesting next time.

Communication wasn’t all that easy with the guy working the counter, but he got my order right!

China Lily
360 Moore Rd
Ocoee, FL
34761
(407) 656-6868
https://www.yelp.com/biz/china-lily-ocoee

A Tu Gusto

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Beef arepas

Exterior

Interior

**** (4 stars)

There are service issues here, but the food is very good.

What I ordered wasn’t what was rung up, and what was rung up wasn’t what I was served. So, a twofer. Fortunately I’m flexible, and it was very good, in fact the best arepas I’ve had. I definitely will return, and TRY to sample something different!

A Tu Gusto
6405 Raleigh St
Orlando, FL
32835
https://www.yelp.com/biz/a-tu-gusto-orlando-3

Ploy Thai

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Front table

Duck

Interior

**** (4 stars)

Terrific Thai food is served in this charming restaurant that’s been in business for 17 years. It is definitely a family run operation, from the gracious hostess to the chef. The restaurant is named after the owners’s daughter, Ploy, who has grown up with it.

All of the Thai favorites are here. The appetizers, while fried, aren’t to oily, and I’m a particular fan of the Talay.

Ploy Thai
1941 W Brandon Blvd
Brandon, FL
33511
(813) 684-5007
https://www.yelp.com/biz/ploy-thai-brandon

Pei Wei

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*** (3 stars)

This Pei Wei is organized a bit differently from the one I usually go to, with a U-turn in the queue and the menus against one wall. There’s a large wall of windows in the dining area, and a large outside dining area, too.  Other than that, it’s pretty much the same as all others.

There was a new item on my visit to this one, and I really like it: cauliflower fried “rice”. It was very good with the spicy Korean sauce.

And yes, they have Coke Freestyle machines, which are my favorite fast food device of all time.

Pei Wei
3337 Daniels Rd
Winter Garden, FL
34787
(407) 347-9928
https://www.yelp.com/biz/pei-wei-winter-garden

Hokkaido Chinese and Japanese Buffet

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Buffets

Exterior

Dining room

Sushi

*** (3.5 stars)

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this buffet. There’s an extensive selection of Chinese foods, and they are kept fresh, so the flavors and crispness are about as good as you would get by ordering off a menu. There’s even a lot of shellfish. But the real highlight is the sushi buffet, which is the largest I’ve seen. The quality and freshness are amazingly good.

The price is very reasonable given the quality and location.

Hokkaido Chinese and Japanese Buffet
12173 S Apopka Vineland Rd
Orlando, FL
32836
(407) 778-5188
https://www.yelp.com/biz/hokkaido-chinese-and-japanese-buffet-orlando-2

The Attic Door

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Pork slider

Muffuletta

Interior

***** (5 stars)

Now under the new ownership of Laurie and Kevin Tarter of the Chef’s Table and Tasting Room across the street, the Attic Door has reached its full potential as a chill place to hang out and enjoy good food, wines, beer and live music.

Long-time fans will find that all of the Attic Door’s best features have been retained, but the food is now an order of magnitude better, the wine list more interesting, the beers vastly more interesting, and the seating more comfortable, and better suited to enjoying the food while listening to the excellent live music.

The service has the friendly professionalism you would expect from these experienced owners. There’s a passion here to make everything just right for guests.

There will also be an afternoon tea some days. Hearing about the research that has already gone into selecting the teas and scone recipes makes me excited to experience another unique offering.

The attic Door is definitely most chill place to hang out in Winter Garden.

The Attic Door
28 W Plant St
Winter Garden, FL
34787
(407) 877-0266
https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-attic-door-winter-garden

Singh’s Roti Shop & Bar

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Chicken roti

Interior

**** (4 stars)

Singh’s offers a full range of Rotis and curries in a pleasant environment. It’s counter service, but very efficient and well-staffed. I’m a big fan of goat roti, but the channa and the chicken are also good. If you don’t like bones, there is even a version of the chicken that is boneless.

I suggest getting the roti separate rather than as a wrap. Their roti is HUGE, and it’s almost impossible to eat the grapefruit-sized thing! I think you also get more filling when they are separate.

The place is spotlessly clean, and there’s a nice outside patio and also a full bar.

Singh’s Roti Shop & Bar
5244 Old Winter Garden Rd
Orlando, FL
32811
(407) 253-2900
https://www.yelp.com/biz/singhs-roti-shop-and-bar-orlando

First Watch

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Exterior

Interior

Veggie omelet

**** (4 stars)

I really like the interior decor of this place, with high, modern ceilings, and large walls of glass. It’s much nice than the other First Watches I’ve been to, and also the competitors.

I have to confess that I’m a bit old school as far as breakfast, and I actually prefer most of the items at coffee shops to here, but there are some more heathful options that are interesting. The veggie omelet is a good choice, for example.

The staff was friendly and service was quick.

First Watch
7910 Winter Garden Vineland Road
Windermere, FL
33125
(407) 612-2022
https://www.yelp.com/biz/first-watch-windermere

Southern Spice Indian Cuisine

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**** (4 stars)

On my first visit to Southern Spice I was a bit disappointed to find it was a lunch buffet. Although that is fast and obviously popular, I’m just not a big buffet fan. The food was all good, and there were quite a few selections, but I wasn’t in a rush to go back.

Then I discovered you could also order off the regular menu at lunch. While not as good a deal, the food was much more interesting and fresh, and we really enjoyed our biryani and especially the Malai Kofta and the garlic naan.

Service was friendly and professional.

Southern Spice Indian Cuisine
7637 Turkey Lake Rd
Orlando, FL
32819
(321) 251-2244
https://www.yelp.com/biz/southern-spice-indian-cuisine-orlando

Barley & Hops

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Beef brat

Flatbread

Exterior

Fried mushrooms

Potstickers

**** (4 stars)

By my count this is the fifth incarnation of this place, and definitely the best. The previous version, The Big Easy, was also good, but didn’t last long because of the narrow focus on Cajun food, I guess. This new sports bar menu should have broader appeal.

We tried the fried mushrooms and pan sauteed pork potstickers as appetizers, and both were very good. I particularly liked the cole slaw that came with the pot stickers.

For my main course I had the beef brat, which was nicely seared and served with sauteed peppers, onions, and sauerkraut.

My companion has a pepperoni flatbread. It wasn’t really a flatbread, it was a large rectangular pizza. And boy was it good! Lots of pepperoni, and most importantly lots of delicious pizza sauce, what I regard as west coast style. Ironically, this is the best pizza ever served in this building, a place that was three different Italian restaurants in the past!

Our server, Ashley, was terrific.

The space is mostly unchanged since the previous use, but this is the first time when the concept has truly matched the layout. It works as a sports bar, and I wish them much success.

Barley & Hops
7782 Winter Garden Vineland RdSte 140
Windermere, FL
34786
(407) 347-3688
https://www.yelp.com/biz/barley-and-hops-windermere-3